Grounding, Protection & Clearing, Oh My!

This article is based on Beyond the Reiki Gateway’s podcast “Grounding, Protection & Clearing, Oh My!” created by Reiki Masters Kathleen Johnson and Andrea Kennedy.

Kathleen Johnson:
Now, over the past year, I’m sure all of you are aware that we’ve had a lot of information about hygiene, of course. So now we’re all involved in doing our part to control the spread of COVID-19, we’re washing our hands, we’re wearing our masks, we’re practicing social distancing, at least I hope you all are.

So, good job with that. But we have to also remember that as energetic beings composed entirely of energy, we have to be mindful of our energetic hygiene, in addition to our physical hygiene. This is what we’ll be talking about today. I hope you can take away some tips and recommendations that you can use in your own life to keep your energy high and your aura secured and take care of your energy.

What is this energetic hygiene and why is so important?

Andrea Kennedy:
I love this topic today, Kathleen, because oh, you’re so right, hygiene has been really front and center for us in ways like never before. And there is this whole other side of hygiene and that is about our energy. And more and more people are believing now that we are energy beings and we talk about the aura and the bio field, the Chakras, all of these things, all about energy. And with our awareness now more in that realm of being energy and accepting that, what responsibility do we have? Perhaps to maintain our energy, to take care of our energy? Because now that we’re aware that we are energy beings, certainly there comes new responsibility with us knowing that.

Kathleen Johnson:
Each of us is responsible for taking care of our energy. This is one of those topics that arises frequently for me with students and clients. They frequently want to know how best to maintain their energy, how best to protect their energy, how best to keep their vibration high, as we say. I always tell them that there are many ways to do that, but the main point is that we do it, because when we come into body our primary responsibility is to ourselves.

In today’s world, we are more often than not focused on everyone else but ourselves. And I use myself as an example. I tend to be very much the person who’s always going to help somebody or something and putting myself on the back burner. That is really the wrong approach. I know we’ve all heard the old saying, you can’t pour from an empty cup and it’s so true. It’s more important now than ever to take care of our energy hygiene, just as well as we take care of our physical hygiene. It’s even more so in these days, with the pandemic and the global unrest and all the things going on in the world now. It’s very difficult to be on planet Earth these days.

Taking care of our energy is more important now than ever. I urge each one of you to really think about how you are taking care of your energy, remembering that it’s your primary responsibility to do so. You can then not only help yourself, but reach out to help others. And your cup is always full.

Andrea Kennedy:
Or at least maybe halfway, that for a lot of people that would be a big improvement, I think. One of the first things that comes to my mind on this subject, Kathleen, would be grounding.

Kathleen Johnson:
Yes.

Grounding: what happens when you are not grounded

Andrea Kennedy:
Grounding is something that in my early days … With Reiki, first of all, grounding was never mentioned to me in any of my Reiki training. And so I just was completely out there, unaware about grounding, about what it was, about its importance and how it does help us energetically. I just never got that instruction. I’ll share this. How it really came home to me was there was a Reiki Share where I lived that I found and was after many years of searching I finally found this Reiki Share and every time I would attend, I just knew that I’d have a headache by the time I was driving home.

I loved that going, I love sharing the Reiki with the people and meeting them and just being around all that energy, it was beautiful, but I knew I’d pay the price. And finally, one day I was talking to another Reiki practitioner about it and she said you need to ground yourself. And I thought, what is that?

Kathleen Johnson:
Yeah.

Andrea Kennedy:
And then she talked to me about it and oh my gosh, you talk about life changing. And then I never had an energy headache, that’s what I would refer to it. I never had that sort of headache again. And so if we help anybody out there with this today, I’ll just be thrilled.

Kathleen Johnson:
Yes, I have run into that headache scenario myself and you may have noticed this too, Andrea, since you teach classes, a lot of times when I… Back when I was teaching in person classes, after the attunement or the placement, several of the students would always have a headache and it got to the point where I started doing a grounding exercise with them after the attunement or the placement, because that’s what they needed. They’ve been doing so much work with the upper Chakras and their spiritual centers that they had become ungrounded.

And, of course, a Reiki attunement or a Reiki placement is certainly going to cause that. So we used to do a grounding exercise after the attunement or the placement. And it made a world of difference. Of course, I’ve always offered chocolate after that as well. And it’s very grounding – chocolate. And it’s also a really good reason to eat chocolate. So, I know exactly what you’re talking about as far as the headaches. Not that I need any more reasons, but yeah, you can ground yourself by eating some chocolate. So go for it.

Andrea Kennedy:
Something that came to mind while you were talking, Kathleen, is you had mentioned all of that work, the energy work, bringing the energy bodies, almost uprooting them and running more through the upper Chakras, and what I’d like to share with the listeners is something even very practical. How does a person know if they are not grounded? Very often, headaches, as we mentioned.

Kathleen Johnson:
Right.

Grounding: how it helps you manifest your projects into reality

Andrea Kennedy:
I just want to offer a practical example. That would be if a person has great ideas and great inspiration, they are highly imaginative and creative in their minds. But they have a high level of difficulty in manifesting those ideas, having a great idea for a project, but they just can’t ever seem to finish the project or give birth to the project on the physical plane.

And what I would say to that is the first place to look is how balanced are the Chakras, the lower and upper and right away and how grounded are you on a daily basis? Because if that person’s energy isn’t consistently grounded, it will really be quite impossible to take that inspiration as it comes down working its way through the Chakras and give birth to it in a physical way. We have to be grounded to the Earth, to engage and energize the lower Chakras, so that we can manifest and see our results.

Grounding: why you shouldn’t exclusively focus on your upper chakras.

The other thing I would say about that, what I have seen through the years. Many people on a spiritual path and really wanting to be spiritual unknowingly, really concentrate on the heart Chakra and upwards. Many people regard the lower Chakras one, two and three as yucky for some reason, like not spiritual or something like that. They’re all about their heart. I would also bring out for us to discuss or just to have people be more aware of it is we are a system and it takes all of the Chakras working together and being grounded.

Kathleen Johnson:
You’re absolutely right. And this is something I go over in some detail with students and clients because just like you said, when we start on a spiritual path and we want to grow spiritually, we’re very much focused on the upper Chakras, the third eye especially. Woohoo! It’s fun, you get to experience things you’ve never experienced before. You feel really good. You start to feel like, wow, I’m making so much progress.

Seriously, don’t neglect your lower chakras!

But we tend then to… not everybody, but we can tend to neglect those lower Chakras. Oh, those are the ones connected to the Earth. They’re just like you said, the yucky, so we do, we ignore them and, but that’s such a big mistake. And this is one of the things I get through to students. I hope they have learned this from me because it’s so important. In order to advance spiritually, in order to grow spiritually, you have to be balanced. And if you’re not balanced, you’re not going to grow, you’re going to be stagnant.

Grounding: connects you to the Mother Earth

And the way to stay balanced is you’ve got to be grounded; you have to be fully present in your body. You have to be working in the here and now fully connected to Mother Earth. And when you’re grounded, and you’re connected to spirit with the upper Chakras and centered in your heart, that’s when you are balanced. So, all the Chakras, all the energy centers have to be working in unison, in tandem, harmoniously. So I’m really glad you brought that up because that’s so true.

The example I give my students is, if you look at nature, the tallest trees, the biggest, the mightiest trees have the deepest, the widest roots. Those roots go on forever. And if you look at a tall mountain, the biggest mountains have the broadest basses, they are grounded, they are firmly connected to Mother Earth. And we can take an example from that in order to be spiritually evolving. And I know that’s what many of you want to do, myself included. And Andrea as well. Grounding and staying balanced is essential. There is no way around it.

Andrea Kennedy:
Absolutely, I love the two visuals you offered from nature, the tree and the mountain. That’s so true. What are some ways that you suggest, that people do ground? I think we’ve convinced them all by now, at least I hope so.

Kathleen Johnson:
I hope so.

Andrea Kennedy:
Now that they’re all ready to do this, what are some ways that you suggest that people go about it?

Grounding: 7 practical methods to ground yourself

Kathleen Johnson:
There’s so many ways to ground yourself and a lot of people have a misconception that this is something that’s going to take a lot of time, you need an elaborate ritual. It gets complicated. It doesn’t. You can ground yourself throughout the day. Anytime of the day, one of the easiest things that I do is I stomp my feet, because it establishes that connection to Mother Earth. It wakes up those lower Chakras, especially if I’m doing spiritual work, if I’m conducting a Reiki session or if I’m working with a client or teaching. I want to reestablish that connection and be fully present in my body. You could stomp your feet.

Another way is to… similar to stomping your feet, stand with your feet planted firmly on the ground, bend from the waist and put your palms flat on the ground and just intend and visualize your palms and the soles of your feet connecting to Mother Earth.

Doing something outside, connecting with Mother Nature or Mother Earth is a great way to ground. Doing something outside, go potter in the garden or take a walk.

Doing chores helps, because it’s something that’s very physical and Earth based. Washing dishes can be tremendously grounding. I’m one of those weird people who rather enjoys washing dishes. I find it to be relaxing, therapeutic and it gets me out of my head. I can focus on washing the dishes and it’s such a physical, Earth based kind of chore. I’ve got the water running. I can feel the cloth in my hand and the soap and it’s just very soothing to me. So, call me crazy, but I enjoy washing dishes. A reasonable amount of dishes, please.

But yeah, there are so many ways to ground, and so you can get into fancier techniques. And I imagine, Andrea, that you have a few you could offer, as well. But for me, I like to keep things simple and I frequently don’t have time to engage in a lot of elaborate grounding rituals. But there are some, if you’re really feeling the need, it’s important to honor that in yourself and go for it.

Andrea Kennedy:
Yeah, I agree with you for sure. I’m a little more mental about it, which is odd, because how would being mental about it help you ground physically? I really believe in the mind-body connection and therefore the mind-energy connection. And so, one of the ways that I will ground is I will use my mind and I will visualize myself with… my feet will be on the floor. But I’ll visualize that connection to the Earth. I might visualize roots coming out or a ribbon of light coming out of each foot, going deep down into the Earth.

I like to visualize things that, that isn’t work for me. I enjoy that. And I might also couple that, or just maybe even on its own, say, an affirmation that resonates with me, that establishes my intention to be grounded. And so, it brings it into my awareness, and it might be something like this: “I am in gratitude and give my thanks to Mother Earth for her always supporting me and connecting with me energetically. I release all I no longer need to the Earth now.” And in my mind, I will see energy flowing through me and out, through down my legs and out my feet to her.

Grounding: are you afraid of burdening the Earth with your problems? Don’t!

I’d like to make a little point about that. I’ve had a few sessions with clients through the years. And when I would tune into their legs or their feet, something interesting would come up. I would find a sort of reluctance on their part to ground to the Earth, as if they felt that they didn’t want to burden the Earth. I don’t know if that makes any sense, but it was almost like they were not really claiming their space, taking up space on the Earth. And they didn’t want to allow anything negative to go from them into the Earth.

And this really surprised me, when I would speak to the clients after the session. They would indicate that yes, they had a feeling sort of like that. And I would let them know that this is the way it’s set up for us. That the Earth, just think about in nature, there are decomposers, when there’s rubbish, so to speak. But on the Earth, the decomposers come out and will decompose that and they thrive on doing that job in nature and our energy that is no different.

The Earth invites us to let go of what no longer serves us and it takes care of it, the way it’s designed to. So, that process is completely natural and I would invite everybody, claim your space here on Earth and allow that flow to proceed through all of your energy centers and always let go of what you no longer need. Please don’t ever be reluctant to do that.

Kathleen Johnson:
That’s a great point, Andrea. Mother Earth can handle it. And honestly, I have felt similarly to what you describe in some of your clients, especially in the past several years when we become so much more aware of Mother Earth and how burdened she is these days because of human behavior. For a while, I was guided by Reiki, instead of sending that energy to the Earth, I was guided by Reiki to send it to the light. I was doing that when I would release energy from clients or when the energy of Reiki would release the energy from the clients that they no longer needed. I would intend it to go to the light, because I was feeling the weight of Mother Earth’s pain frequently in sessions. I feel very much connected to her.

She has come into my sessions in the past and she will provide information, provide impressions, give me information that’s helpful for the client. I feel connected to her and my heart hurts for her. I just couldn’t bring myself to burden her any more. So I started sending it to the light. But recently I have been sending it back to the Earth. I felt that I had the green light, so to speak, to go ahead and start sending it back to the Earth.

But yeah, what you said about establishing your place on Earth? Absolutely. Each one of us is here for a reason. We have every right to be here, establish your presence, establish who you are and be a part of being on planet Earth these days. I think that’s great advice and I hope everyone does that. Don’t be afraid of it, because we’re here for a reason. We’re here for purposes that may be beyond our comprehension at this point, but make no mistake. We’re each of us here for a reason.

Andrea Kennedy:
Another topic of a lot of questions that probably we both get, Kathleen, would be about energetic protection.

Kathleen Johnson:
Oh yeah.

Energetic protection: where do you draw the line?

Andrea Kennedy:
This idea of protecting our energy from other people or other circumstances, whatever it might be. And there’s been a big growing, at least from my perspective, a big growth in how many times I’m seeing people refer to empaths or empathic abilities and things like that. And I think it all goes together under this umbrella of protection and protecting our energy field. And what would you like to say about that?

Kathleen Johnson:
Oh, I get that question a lot. In fact, I have a couple handouts that I had prepared specifically for clients, and one of them is about grounding, that we just discussed. The other is about spiritual protection techniques, because I get this question a lot. It seems that many of my clients are empathic or identify as empaths.

They feel the energy of everything around them much more deeply than someone who was not as sensitive. When I say sensitive, I’m talking about energetically sensitive. I myself identify as an empath, so that’s probably why these clients come to me and vice versa, because we do attract the clients that we can best serve and that’s how Reiki works. But protection is so important and I know there’s a lot of different viewpoints and perspectives about it. I’d like to hear what you do, because I don’t know if you identify as an empath, we’ve never had that conversation. So, I just don’t know where you stand on the empathic spectrum.

Andrea Kennedy:
I suppose I am an empath, Kathleen, I just never really categorized myself like that. But if I see a list of empathic qualities, I’m pretty much checking off every single box on the list. So, I guess I would be and I am pretty sensitive to things and it can be difficult at times, that’s for sure. We do have challenges there.

Energetic protection: don’t build a wall around you

Back in the early days for myself, I was all into protection. That’s what is out there. That’s what I learned just by reading and listening to other people, this whole notion about protection. So I was pretty good about that. And it wasn’t until, oh, I don’t know, few years back, that I really shifted my thinking about protection.

I’ll share an example with you and then I’d love to get your perspective. One of the clients I had sticks out in my mind. And this woman was lying down on the Reiki table. And I started at her crown, I didn’t feel like anything was happening, was just kind of like thud. And I thought what’s going on? And I went to her feet and then I placed my hands on her feet. And there was a little bit less of a thud, but I asked, I said, what is going on here? As I lifted my head up and I look up this woman’s body, I actually saw this layer above her body.

And it was probably about 12 to 18 inches above her body. And it appeared like pumice stone, that grey rock really with little tiny bubbles in it, but it’s actually not that dense of a rock, but it’s impenetrable nonetheless. So, I looked up and I saw that layer that appeared to be a few inches thick, at least, I would say maybe about 4 inches thick. I’d never seen anything like that before. And I then asked, in my mind, what is that? And the response I got back was that this woman was like a top notch, very invested, very regular person who use protection shielding or whatever you want to call it.

Kathleen Johnson:
Right.

Andrea Kennedy:
And I just was probably an awe, standing there going, oh my gosh. Because that had such implications, so this woman who intended to create a protective shield around herself, I’m actually seeing it, in her energy. Not knowing this woman, never meeting her before. And that was huge.

I have to admit to you that I was so excited to talk to her at the end of the session. I wanted to prove I was like, really, is that what it is? I’m asking her after the session. And sure enough, we sat down after the session and I said, do you do a regular practice of protecting your energy? And she sat there and she is, oh yes, every day I intend… I create a shield around myself. None of that bad stuff can get in. And I looked at her and I said, you know what, you’ve succeeded because… It’s in your energy.

Oh, but what I should also follow up with is how did we do that Reiki session. Well, once I saw that barrier there, it was almost, I don’t know, it was almost like seeing it, recognizing it for what it was. And then, in my mind, I thought she’s here for Reiki. And then all the sudden it was like it lifted up. Almost like when you’re going to make a bed and you throw the top sheet out and then it just gently falls down. That’s what it felt like when that barrier lifted up. And then it was like, we were both underneath the barrier together and then I was able to do the session and it was a beautiful session. But I think it was such a cool experience.

I learned so much and that’s one reason I just love working with clients as we’re always learning, always growing, always seeing new things, and no two sessions are ever alike. But it was really very affirming to me that whole mind-body, mind-energy connection thing I mentioned earlier, that was proof to me that indeed, our intention actually does have real consequences.

Don’t shield yourself, build a smart filter!

Kathleen Johnson:
Oh, there’s no question about it. And this client of yours must have been very invested in protecting her energy. But what I was hearing when you were talking about that is, she didn’t so much protect herself, but build a wall around herself. I have to wonder how that was working out for her or how it is working out for her nowadays, because she’s not getting a Reiki session 24/7. This is one of the things that I discuss with students and clients as well. Protection is great and I recommend it, especially for people who are sensitive to energy. But you don’t want to build a wall around yourself.

So, when I hear the word shield, I cringe, because I don’t want to shield myself, because that sounds like I’m building a wall. I want to have a filter and that’s how I explain it to my clients and students. And the intent of the filter is to allow in those energies that are healthy and compatible for my energy and to keep out those energies that are unhealthy or incompatible, so the good stuff can come in, but the not so good staff can stay out.

And I think a filter, at least for me, gives me that perspective, that I’m not shutting everything out because that is ultimately very unhealthy. But you just want to allow the things in that’ll help you to grow and evolve. And that’s how I see it anyway. But my goodness, have you, I’m wondering have you had contact with this individual? Like recently, how’s that wall coming along? I’m curious.

Andrea Kennedy:
Well, you know, I haven’t seen clients for nearly a year in person. But that day in the office, you better believe I wasn’t letting her get out of that office without talking to her about what she was doing to herself.

Kathleen Johnson:
Good.

Andrea Kennedy:
Because it was not benefiting her the way she thought it would. If people are moved to build a wall around themselves and I’ve even heard of people putting mirrors around themselves and all kinds of things like that, it could get quite elaborate. But any time you have a barrier around yourself, what you’ve done is you’ve created duality. You’ve and I would also ask you to investigate why it is that you feel that need. And I’ll bet you that there’s fear, an underlying fear there.

Kathleen Johnson:
Of course.

Walls are created through fear. Do you really want that?

Andrea Kennedy:
And so, this barrier is created through fear. And I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to create things out of fear.

Kathleen Johnson:
No.

Andrea Kennedy:
And I certainly don’t want to be surrounded by something that I construct out of fear, that isn’t the way I want to operate.

Kathleen Johnson:
Course not. It’s not healthy.

Andrea Kennedy:
No, it is not at all, but I think people, they mean well, of course, they just don’t understand the full power of what it is that they’re creating here. To have the barrier there, I would say: number one – it’s probably built out of fear. Number two, it creates the duality, it creates the me versus them.

Kathleen Johnson:
Correct.

Andrea Kennedy:
Me versus the world. What’s the outside trying to do to me, kind of thing. So, it keeps you in that sort of… I want to almost say excited state of watchfulness and worry, on guard. And again, that I don’t want to be on guard with my energy. People say when what do you do? What I would say is, I instead have a belief and intention that I am bringing in energy, that I’m an energy body. I’m an energy being. Instead of building a wall and I have to say, I don’t even use a filter now, but I like that analogy. I even took a class once and the teacher utilized that and it was very good, very good the way she explained that and like you did earlier, I like that idea, it needs to be a permeable membrane, like a cell membrane…

Kathleen Johnson:
Correct.

Bring in the light, it will protect you better than any shield

Andrea Kennedy:
… where, you know, what is beneficial can move in, what is not beneficial can move out, in that kind of thing and have some sort of a gatekeeper sort of thing. But getting back to my other take on this, if we can bring in light, if we bring in light and we just exude light and what I want to say is love. So, if I am bringing in love and light all the time, I can only utilize so much of that for myself. And I just intend that it exude from my field.

If you think about that, if you think of as yourself as a million-watt light bulb, there’s not a lot that can come too close to that sort of light, that can really do much to you. Things that are of a lower vibration don’t tend to want to be around that. That’s a little bit how I operate and I will say, I’m not saying that I’m this big light thing. I’m attempting to bring in the light and offering it to other people, which creates a flow outward from me, of this high vibrationary light. And that’s how I look at it.

Kathleen Johnson:
That’s great and I like that idea of bringing in the light. You’ve mentioned fear and the walls that are built, those barriers. I like the word barrier that you’ve used. They are built from fear. And when you talk about bringing in the light, the light is love and the opposite of fear is love. And love is a lot more powerful than fear, even though we’re experiencing fear it sure doesn’t feel like it, but fear is not nearly as powerful as love. When we choose to bring in the light, also known as love, we are arming ourselves with the most powerful force in the universe.

I think that’s a really good example for our listeners and also for ourselves, because one of the protection techniques that I always recommend is to bring in the white light. Basically what you just said. And when I talk about white light with clients and students, they immediately feel like, oh, this is a good thing, because it feels divine and heavenly and very protective. And all I’m really doing and asking them to do is to surround themselves with love.

Because when they do that, it will raise their vibration. And when you’re operating at a higher energy frequency, like you said, is that million-watt light bulb, not that much can come close to it. And it tends to rebuff anything of a much lower frequency. And you don’t want those lower frequencies invading your energy field, so it becomes a form of protection, although without the unnecessary building of a huge wall or barrier around yourself.

Andrea Kennedy:
And then it’s also not about fear. It’s about love.

Kathleen Johnson:
Exactly. And there’s really only two emotions that we experience and every other emotion flows from those two, fear and love. If you’re not operating from love, then you’re probably operating from fear and you need to look at that and maybe take some steps to remedy that. This client you spoke of, she was definitely operating from fear. You mentioned something about duality that was spot on. That’s such a good way to describe it, because it just creates that feeling of “I’m separate…” separateness, instead of the oneness and the connectedness that we truly all are. But as soon as you build that wall, it’s okay, I’m here and you’re over there, and that’s why I want to keep you.

Energetic protection: bring in love and light, rise your vibration

Andrea Kennedy:
And something else that can become apparent from this building of barriers and things like that is the lack of self confidence, perhaps, or trusting of the self. If we can believe that will whether the storms that come, we don’t need to have a barrier there. If we know that the universe has our back, that the universe is cheering us on and that we’re co-creators with the universe.

If we can embody that and know that, well, then will be fine, no matter what life brings, no matter what people might come by and what actions they do. If we can maintain our belief and confidence in our ability to withstand things and to survive and to come out better for it, then I just feel as though that need for the barrier goes away.

Kathleen Johnson:
Exactly. When we talk about protection, what we’re really talking about is maintaining and raising our vibration. Because when we do that, that offers protection and of itself, how does that land with you, Andrea, to hear that? Is that something that you think maybe distills what we’re talking about?

Andrea Kennedy:
I think so, but one other little thing came up though, when you were saying that and that was what we cannot fear being in low vibration, either. I see a lot in the spiritual community all about, oh, raise your vibe, high vibration, all about being in the stratosphere all the time. And yeah, I get that, but you know, we’re humans and we go up and we go down and that’s normal and natural and the lows help offer contrast and it helps us even be able to propel higher and higher.

It isn’t a failure. If we have low vibration moments, low vibration days, and when we go through things, that’s not a failure, it’s just life. But absolutely, with what you’re saying, it is very much a spiritual journey for us, that we often focus on the higher vibrations, being in the light and offering light to others. I totally agree with that. I just want everybody to know that we’re humans too and low vibration stuff happens.

Experiencing low vibrations: if you are human, it’s ok.

Kathleen Johnson:
Oh yes, of course. I myself recently had a low vibration day. I think it was Saturday, very low vibration day. And I didn’t beat myself up too much. But as you said, we are human and we’re going to have those days where we just don’t feel well. But on those days, I think it’s even more important for us to pay attention to our energy and what makes us feel better. Because when we start to feel better by taking care of our energy, which is super important, then we just naturally come back to our state of a higher vibration. And the lower vibrations tend to dissipate when we start taking care of our energy. And I think that brings us right back to what we were saying at the beginning is why energetic hygiene is so very important. I mentioned that we each have a personal responsibility to ourselves. And in that is a responsibility to take care of our energy.

That brings me to another topic under energetic hygiene, and that is intention. You’ve probably already heard us talk a lot about intention in our previous episodes, because intention is something that is essential and especially in energy work or any kind of healing endeavor. But it’s also important in other ways, in terms of energetic hygiene and setting the stage, if you will, for what we want to manifest.

Andrea Kennedy:
I’d like to share something that I do anytime that I am receiving energy, whether it be Reiki or any other sort of modality, really at all. But I’m going to use Reiki as an example. Anytime I’m going to receive a Reiki session, Reiki treatment from another practitioner, I don’t care if we’re the best of friends or if we just met that day, I have the same intention.

And that is when I lay down or when I get settled, when we’re going to begin the session, I will say something in my mind such as this: “I am open and ready to receive only the highest vibrations of Reiki energy that are in my highest good to receive at this time.” And that is what I say because I’m taking responsibility in that moment to only open to that. We’ve said it before on this podcast and that is that we’re in a sea of energy. Everything is energy.

Kathleen Johnson:
Right.

Andrea Kennedy:
And I know for myself, I only want that into that session to get. I don’t want any other energies that aren’t invited. Well, I think that is my responsibility as a receiver. And I don’t think we often think about that. I think at least in the Reiki world, we might talk about the practitioner setting intension. But I don’t think that we talk often enough about the responsibility of the recipient.

Kathleen Johnson:
Agreed. We talk an awful lot about the practitioner’s intent and, of course, that is essential. I too always ask that the client set an intention before the session, even if it’s something very simple. And a lot of people will simply say, I ask that I receive whatever Reiki wants to give me today in my highest good. And that’s fine because Reiki knows what to do. Reiki is always going to address the highest good for that particular individual and will give that person exactly what they need.

So, just like you said, when you have a session, you always set an intention. I know that when I do self Reiki, I set an intention very similar to yours, different words. I always set my intention that I be deeply healed and blessed, always in accordance with the highest good and whatever Reiki knows that I may need at this time. It’s just very simple.

The deep healing and blessing part is one I always offer for my clients before a session, too, because I don’t think it can get much better than that. You asked for deep healing and blessing in accordance with the highest good. From my point of view that covers most of the bases, but I think considering intention on the part of the client is important. And as you said, it’s that responsibility, that personal responsibility that we take charge of our energy.

What is an energy vampire and how afraid should you be?

Andrea Kennedy:
Yes. And I really like this topic too, because over the years I’ve heard people say things, I don’t really like the term energy vampire. I get the whole idea about an energy vampire. That is a person who you might be around them and you walk away and you feel so drain and that kind of thing. And I’ve heard of situations like that. I’ve been in those situations as well. I think one of the things that can help us the most is awareness.

Kathleen Johnson:
Right.

Andrea Kennedy:
And knowing ah, here is this person who does this and then setting intentions and really being present. When we have presence with these people I think that in itself is a lot of protection for us.

Kathleen Johnson:
Right.

Andrea Kennedy:
We don’t… again, I still don’t believe we have to shield ourselves or anything like that. But I bring all of that up because there’s sometimes this belief or something out there that people are victims of other people energetically. And that just frustrates me. So this is my tough love moment. I want to tell everybody, do not be a victim of anyone else, energetically! There is no need, because you are powerful. You are connected to the universe. You have source energy just moving through you right this moment. And you do not have to be a victim to any other person’s energy.

Have clear intentions, take care of your own energy and know that you are a powerful being. And you’re not just going to take anybody’s stuff, put it nicely. And when you have that sort of intention, I just feel better just even saying those words, but I’m not even in that position. But if you have that intention and if you have that belief that you’re powerful and please do, because we’re all powerful, your power doesn’t take anybody else’s power away, but you’ve got it all. And there’s no reason at all that anyone else… that you have to take energetic mistreatment from anyone else. And so, clear intention and know yourself as worthy and powerful.

The difference between a victim and a survivor

Kathleen Johnson:
I love that, Andrea, and you’re so right. I’ve spent many years in law enforcement and I can tell you, I was so sick of the word victim because everybody was a victim. This person was victimized, this person… it just became, the energy of that word is difficult. It just conjures up all kinds of unpleasantness and horrible things. I have been on a crusade for the past lots of years to eliminate that word for my vocabulary. I use the word survivor and because that has a much more positive connotation, a much more uplifting. And yes, I survived that. And that’s awesome. It’s not like I’m a victim. You’re just cowering in a corner, which is the kind of image I get in my mind when I hear that word. And I’ve taken it even a step further recently.

I think of people who have survived traumatic events to be thrivers, not only did they survive, but they’re thriving. And you talk about being powerful. Yes. And it’s not power over anyone. It’s just being empowered, personally empowered, you’re using it to make your way in the world as the best person you can possibly be. And that is setting an intention, that is setting the intention that you’re not a victim, you’re either a survivor or a thriver.

And whenever one you choose to be, maybe you’re still at the survivor stage and that’s ok, you’re working on it. But for goodness sakes, please don’t refer to yourself as a victim, because that’s going to keep you in that victim mentality.

Andrea Kennedy:
Right.

Kathleen Johnson:
Think of yourself as a survivor, and then move into a thriver and see how that works out for you. And, like Andrea said, me just talking about that, I’m feeling a badass here. Yeah. I’m powerful.

Andrea Kennedy:
I know.

Kathleen Johnson:
I want to go out and punch a bag or something.

Andrea Kennedy:
Yeah, I know.

Kathleen Johnson:
Right?

Andrea Kennedy:
Yeah. I’m a million-watt light bulb today, woohoo! Oh my gosh…

Kathleen Johnson:
So the power of intention, it is a powerful tool.

Andrea Kennedy:
It is and to your point. You know how we feel better just after talking about it? Words have energy. So true, right?

Kathleen Johnson:
Oh yes, oh yes.

Andrea Kennedy:
Not only do our words help create, like the woman with her barrier that I saw, her words…

Kathleen Johnson:
Her wall.

Andrea Kennedy:
Yes, her wall… So not only do our words help create energetically, but they completely can shift the way we feel. And of course, that’s based on energy. But thoughts are things, thoughts are creative.

Kathleen Johnson:
Yes.

Andrea Kennedy:
And that’s one reason affirmations can be a powerful tool for people, but yet, just those words victim and survivor, thriver, as I say those words, I can feel the energy of those words.

Kathleen Johnson:
Correct.

Andrea Kennedy:
It’s a powerful thing. That’s one reason, I have to say, I never say things like, oh, it kills me when blah, blah, blah.

Kathleen Johnson:
Right.

Andrea Kennedy:
Or it’s such a pain when… I don’t say anything like that. I very rarely use the word hate for the same reason.

Kathleen Johnson:
Same.

Andrea Kennedy:
And so I would invite you to be aware of the words that they choose. And that can be a huge gateway to feeling better and creating better in your life, just in the words. And not only the words, but also when we talk to ourselves, what words do we choose to have that inner conversation with ourselves? Are they loving? Are they more fear based? An interesting sort of experiment, if you will.

Kathleen Johnson:
It is, it is. Yeah, the words we say carry such weight and I’m glad that people are finally starting to realize that, because they have energy, everything has energy, as we said multiple times throughout this episode. Everything has energy. Words, of course they do. All you need to do is hear a word and think about how it makes you feel. Then choose another word and think about how that makes you feel and take it from there. You can use intention to maybe help you make better choices about the words you use. Intention with affirmations, intention with “Ok, I intend today to use words that are healthy and compatible with my goals” and see how that takes you.

Intention is super important and you can use intention not just in a Reiki session or a healing session. You can use intention in every aspect of your life and you can use it in a way that empowers you and moves you forward and upward. So I invite you all to start incorporating intention into your life. And if you’re a healer, if you work with Reiki or some other modality, or even if you’re using healing for your own good and for those whom you love, start incorporating intention into your life. Not just in your healing endeavors, but into every aspect and see how things start to change for you.

Andrea Kennedy:
I think we’re going to about run out of time here, Kathleen, but I wanted to touch on…

Kathleen Johnson:
Wow.

Andrea Kennedy:
I know, it’s gone by really fast.

Kathleen Johnson:
It did.

Clear your energy: 3 fast and efficient methods

Andrea Kennedy:
But I wanted to just, let’s give them a couple of tips or ideas quickly about how they might clear energy, just for their body. I don’t really want to talk about spaces and all, that could be a whole another episode. But what would be maybe your favorite one or two ways to clear energy when you feel like you need to?

Kathleen Johnson:
For me, I can say I have a favorite; there are two I use pretty frequently. The first one is what I think of as an energy shower. So I am in the shower and because I have Reiki, I envision Reiki and maybe some of the symbols coming in the through the water and washing away everything that is unhealthy or incompatible and seeing it go down the drain. I love doing an energy shower and one of the best things about that is you don’t need to set another time to do an energy cleaning because you’re already in the shower.

Andrea Kennedy:
Right, it’s super convenient.

Kathleen Johnson:
Exactly, you’re already in the shower, so you’re not only physically cleansing yourself, but you’re energetically cleansing yourself. So I would say that’s probably my favorite way. What do you do, Andrea?

Andrea Kennedy:
I do that too.

Kathleen Johnson:
Good.

Andrea Kennedy:
I really do. And I’ll even envision my day ahead, because normally I would do this in the morning. I envision my day ahead and have the intention that everything just goes the way it is meant to go for my highest good. I would do that. And then if I feel positive about something coming up in the day, I really make an effort to let myself be excited about that. Let myself feel the positive part of that. I think too often we have a dread or a fear or something about oh, that thing is today.

Kathleen Johnson:
That’s true.

Andrea Kennedy:
And so yeah, I try to balance that out by really savoring the positive moments and the positive things I have to look forward to, especially lately with everything that we’ve had to deal with.

Kathleen Johnson:
That’s the truth. And one other way, I like to clear my energy and for you folks who are Reiki practitioners, I’m sure you’re aware of this, Kenyoku, the dry bathing technique. I use that pretty frequently. And especially after a Reiki session, it’s very quick. Wow, it takes maybe 15-20 seconds to do and it’s effective. You’re clearing your field with Reiki, with the Reiki energy. So, I like to use Kenyoku, also hands washing is an effective way to clear your energy. As, you’re washing your hands, which we’re all doing this these days, most of a lot more than I ever used to and I’ve always been very conscious of keeping my hands clean, but my goodness, my hands look like reptilian hands these days, poor hands.

But anyway, when you’re washing your hands, just envision that water taking away any energy that’s unhealthy for you, or incompatible and see you go down the drain. Similar to an energy shower, only you’re just washing your hands. So those are some really easy ways to clear yourself that don’t take a great deal of time, especially if you’re washing your hands anyway or if you’re in the shower anyway.

If you’d like to listen to the “Grounding, Protection & Clearing, Oh My!” podcast from the Beyond the Reiki Gateway, please click here.

Connect with Kathleen and Andrea:
Website: www.beyondthereikigateway.com
Kathleen’s Website: universoulheart.net
Andrea’s Website: www.mainstreamreiki.com
Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/beyondthereikigateway